Universiti Malaya's decision to offer engineering degrees under its "direct intake" programme for RM90,000 was "not a normal process", said Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh.
"That is not the normal process, that is probably (by) the private wing (of Universiti Malaya).
"Probably it was another programme that was being done, (like how) there was some private courses being offered at some other public universities," he told reporters after speaking at the National Higher Education Conference 2017 in Kuala Lumpur today.
Idris assured that the "normal process" - applying to public universities through the Student Entry Administration Department of his ministry, commonly referred to as UPU - remains unchanged.
He did not elaborate when asked if his ministry knew about the move or if actions would be taken against the university. Instead, Idris iterated that there was no fee hike for undergraduates.
"For engineering, they (students) pay only RM3,000 when the cost of an engineering degree is over RM30,000... so there is no such thing as students having to pay more than that even in UM," he said.
According to the Universiti Malaya Centre for Continuing Education (UMCCED) website, engineering degree courses were being offered at approximately 10 times the subsidised rate.
For example, the normal fees for the bachelor's degree course in electrical engineering was approximately RM9,000 for local students while fees was RM53,340 for international students, according to Universiti Malaya's website.
Earlier, the Universiti Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany) had complained that this new system would effectively reduce placement for students applying through UPU and result in an unfair advantage to those who could afford to pay.
The group also speculated that the system was the result of Putrajaya's budget cuts for public universities.- Mkini
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